Sandals Barbados

We stayed for five nights at Sandals Barbados, for our anniversary. The stay was pleasant. The accommodations were not the best (a bit tight space and worn out) I have seen in the Carribbean resorts of comparable prices. The large variety of restaurant choices was a plus. The food quality was certainly very good - La Parisienne and Soy were excellent; the Japanese and the Indian restaurants being the close second. Unfortunately, like many resorts, they seem to dilute the drinks. With easy and open access to this and the Royal resort next door, there were plenty of activities, pools and food choices. Just wish it was not as expensive. I will give the highest marks to the extremely courteous and pleasant staff everywhere in the resort(s)! Big kudos to them!!

Celebrated a belated birthday for my wife and a 49th Wedding anniverary for our travelling companions. Nicholas Jordan made sure those to events were special. The resort is only a short 10-15 minute ride from the airport. It started on a bad note (over an hour wait for transportation to the resort) but ended on a very good note! Overall, the food was great. We had one of the best meals/best steak ever, prepared by Lakicia at the Portofino's resort. We stayed in the "Bajan House" which was convenient to everything. The staff was very friendly, especially: Ryan (Lobby/Piano bar), Deborah and Jessica (American Tavern Restaurant) and Blair who walked us to our restaurant when we were lost. Would have rated a 10 overall if not for the transportation delay.

We’re here at Sandals Barbados which is our sixth trip to a Sandals. I can honestly say I’d like to go home! Customer service is lackadaisical at best and usually just rude. No smiles - staff seems to resent having a job or going beyond the bare minimum. There is a clear lack of training on how to operate a restaurant. Room is basically a 3 star. When booked via phone with a Sandals rep I was told it was beachfront on the 4th floor and Club level. My bad for not looking at the website to see the actual category. Our room is on the second floor (first floor of accommodations) overlooking the pool, palm trees and a distant view of the ocean through the palm trees. Room is worn out, draperies are sagging off the hooks, grout in bathroom is cracked and grungy. TV has very few channels. Walls are dirty…. Spa is good and food is alright. No diet tonic available. Diet Coke comes from a bar nozzle. Tastes like regular Coke. Restaurants are a long wait for the food and service is very poor. For example we waited over 45 minutes for our basic breakfast to arrive at our table even though the restaurant had many empty tables and loads of staff hanging out. Entire staff needs extensive training. I could go on and on but you get the picture. As I said before this is our sixth trip to a Sandals but will likely be our last. We’ve lived overseas and have traveled all the world and have always loved Sandals. I don’t know if it’s just the Barbados Sandals or if they’ve all gone downhill but we don’t feel like spending more thousands of dollars finding out.

Overall we had a good time, but we’d never come back to this resort and very unlikely we’d try another Sandals again. We didn’t have the negative experiences with staff that are so prevalent here on Trip Advisor. The majority of staff were friendly and really lovely. Perhaps take a look in the mirror if you are having frequent negative encounters - maybe you’re part of the problem? Having said that, there are definitely a few bartenders that need some customer service training. Maybe take some notes from your co-worker Zebe - he was always friendly, smiling and providing a positive vibe. Same with the guy in the white shirt working beside him (forget his name - he looked Latin background - not as upbeat as Zebe, but friendly and professional) A couple other staff shout outs: David (host/concierge) at Schooners restaurant. So friendly, welcoming and funny. Jamal (Club sandals). Although I only interacted with him on the phone. His customer service was top notch. I wish I took the names of some other staff but shout out to the girls at the Club Sandals lounge too. A little bit about the resort: The Sandals Barbados side is tired. Especially the rooms and even more the bathroom. The caulking around the tub was gross with mold. The room description also said walk in shower but we got a tub? (Club Sandals Beachfront penthouse room). The view from the balcony was okay. Chairs should be more comfortable. Overall the grounds are kept well and are nice. The nighttime ambiance is beautiful but during the day everything is very tired. It’s better on the Royal side, including the pools. Very poor set up/layout on the Barbados side. We enjoyed all our dinner options (good to excellent). Butches (Barbados side) and Schooners were our two favourites. Breakfast at Spices was just okay. Lots of selection but not that great. Usually luke warm at best and really bland. The bacon was decent, as was the omelette/egg station. The beach was okay. Nice soft white sand, very wide (not really long - not good if you like long walks on the beach). Lots of chairs but they’re jammed together and if you want the “good” seats wake your butt up early (before 7am) but even then the butlers already have them reserved for their guests. Also note that drug dealers literally sit on chairs directly in front of the resort staring at you. We normally don’t care when people offer us weed in other places (Mexico, Jamaica etc), they’re more discreet and less of a constant presence. Here is different, plus they’re offering hard drugs as well, not just the typical weed. Feels as though the resort turns a blind eye to this. A bit disturbing. We saw zero benefit of “upgrading” to Club level. One of the biggest disappointments was things that come normally at other resorts… the small things, like daily housekeeping, in room drink replacements, bathrobes, slippers, umbrellas etc, only started to happen/receive because we requested it. Our biggest tip is be vigilant (but kind) and persistent and you will receive whatever you need. It’s just unfortunate that you need to ask in the first place. Also, download the sandals app and make use of “Gina”. It’s a great convenient way to ask questions and stay in touch with staff. If you’ve already booked the trip, don’t fret you CAN have a good time. Temper your expectations and be consistent and kind with your requests, just be prepared to spend time doing it. If you are still deciding whether to book here, I would pass and look elsewhere. Way better places for the money. It’s just not worth the price.

ABSOLUTE WORST! The way they speak to you, the way they dismiss clients who pay good money, is absolutely unacceptable. Sandals used to be an amazing brand. It's dilapidated, the staff is rude, and the food is average. And it would be OK if the price reflected it.